Geraldine completed St Helens Chamber and Torus Foundation’s Women in Construction course and has gone on to secure an Apprenticeship in Joinery at the Kasey Group, where she is continuing to master her craft.
When she first came to the Chamber, Geraldine’s confidence was lacking and the whole Construction industry was new to her.
Geraldine explained: “When I came to the course, my confidence was really low. I’d only watched builders at my own house do plastering and I knew I had the interest, but I wasn’t sure where to get started.
“As soon as I came into the Construction Centre, Ste our Trainer put me at ease and helped me build my confidence. He really brings you up and makes you feel like you can do it – he’s great like that and it was a big help in giving me the push to try something new.”
Stephen Abbott, Training Adviser at St Helens Chamber Construction Training Centre worked closely with the group of women who came through Torus Foundation. Through the Adult Education Budget (AEB), he was able to deliver a range of workshops to help them build skills they could use around the home or in their careers.
Stephen commented: “It was fantastic to work with Geraldine and the group and watch their skill level and confidence grow with each session. I think it’s important that women are more represented in the Industry and the Women in Construction course is a great way to introduce women to the industry who might not have had the opportunity or confidence before.
“Geraldine has done amazingly well, and the whole team are really proud of her getting her Apprenticeship. I can’t wait to see what she does next!”
Using the skills she gained on the Women in Construction Course, Geraldine is now an Apprentice in Joinery at Kasey Group.
Geraldine added: “The practice and confidence I gained on the course definitely helped me in my role now, it gave me the confidence to apply as I knew I had the skills. I’m really enjoying working on my joinery skills and I get the opportunity to work on other skills too such as guttering.”
Women in Construction is a free, two week course run by Torus Foundation and delivered by St Helens Chamber through the Adult Education Budget (AEB) to help unemployed women develop their skills. The course is open to Torus residents and aims to give them valuable skills for their CV.
“I would encourage anyone to try a Construction course. The training was brilliant, the fact that we did loads of subjects in one course was great to build your skills. I would have liked it to be longer as I didn’t want it to end!”
If you’d like to find out more about the Construction training available at St Helens Chamber, call Starting Point on 01744 698800 or email info@thestartingpoint.org
